Filter for gasoline and the like



Sept; 28 1926.

w.'-r. MUNRO FILTER FOR GASOLINE AND THE LIKE Fil ed Feb. 6, 1926 Patented Sept. 28; 1926.

WALTER T. MUNRO, OF CBESTWOOD, NEW YORK.

FILTER FOR GASOLINE AND THE LIKE.

Application filed February 8, 1926. Serial No. 86,524.

This invention relates to filters of the kind employed for removing from gasoline and other like fuel oils foreign matter, such as particles of dirt and water before its delivery from a source of supply to the place of use and especially to filters interposed between a storage tank and the carbureter of an internal combustion engine or between a supply tank and a vacuum tank which in turn supplies the carbureter.

It is the common practice in automobiles to employ a relatively'large storage or supply tank which delivers to what is known as a vacuum tank from which the fuel, such as gasoline is drawn by the engine. Ordinarily heretofore difiiculties have been encountered owing tothe presence of varying amounts of water, dirt, and other foreign matter which interferes with the most efficient operation of the engine.

In order to clarify the fuel oil, filters have been used which have been interposed between the supply or storage tank and the vacuum tank. My present invention relates to filters of this kind and it consists of cer tain improvements hereinafter designated whereby the filter may be readily applied to vacuum tanks of the kinds in general use and whereby it may be made more efiicient and its cost materially reduced.

In carrying out my invention the filter is provided with a filtering member enclosed y a casing to which latter the fuelis d'elivered from the storage tank and from which it passes to the vacuum tank. The delivery from the filter casing is through an arm having a passage which connects with a plug support which holds a hollow plug or stopper which'connects with the passage in the arm and is adapted to connect with the interior of the vacuum tank, the arrange-- ment being such that the filter as a whole maybe easily applied to vacuum tanks of i the kind in common use.

The filtering member which is mounted within the casing comprises two discs spread 4 a art by a' strainer of fine wire gauze and a fi tering element, such aslchamois, which surrounds thegauze and is; attached to the discs and which is adapted to arrest foreign matter, suchas water, which is not caught by the gauze. Thediscs are formed with seats for the opposite ends-of the gauze element, which define its posit on and 'means is provided forsecurely fastening the opposite ends of the chamois to the discs. The filtertion of my improved filter.

1 attached.

ing member constructed as above specified,

is so made that it may be readily mounted in or removed from the filter casingand replaced by a fresh one when necessary or desirable. l f

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and artly in section of a vacuum tank ofwell own construction, a filter embodying m invention, and a storage tank between w ich and the vacuum tank the filter is interposed.

Figure 2-is aview part1 in side elevation and partly in section of a liollow plug which may be carried by the-filter arm' and which connects said arm with the vacuum tank.

Figure 3 is a detail view of the filter arm showing the plug sup ort and also the as-v sage extending from t e interior of the lter cas ng to the plug support.

Figure-4 is a view on an enlarged 'sca'le partly in side elevation and partly in see- Figure 5 is a view of the filtering element designed to arrest the passage of water or other foreign matter and which is preferably made of chamois.

Figure 6 is a view of the wire gauze element which arrests the passage of particles of dirt, etc.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the astening rings employed.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of the discs-to which the filtering elements are Figures 9, 10 and 11 illustrate how the parts are assembled.

In Figure lower disc ispositioned in the chamois filtering element and how the fastenin ring is used to attach the lower end of the chamois to the lower disc. I

Figure 10 indicates how the ring is tightened .on the chamois and disc to hold the chamois securely on the disc. This figure also illustrates how the wire gauze cylinder is positioned inside the chamois and it indicates the top ring which is employed in the combination.

Figure 11 illustrates how the top disc is applled, how it is- 'tioned by the wire 9 I have indicated how the gauze cylinder, and ow the fastening ring filtering element should be of chamois or of a material possessing the charactcristicsof chamois, the principal characteristic of which is that it will arrest the passage of water through it while permitting the pasage tank T While the port C is ordinarily connected with the carbureter of an engine. A- suction pipe is indicated at B, an air vent at B and a drain is indicated at C. These need not be further described as their construction and operation is-wel] known.

. In the use of my invention a filter D is interposed between the vacuum tank and the storage tank in order that foreign matter. which would interfere with the operation of the engine may be eliminated. The filter of my design is most clearly illustrated in Figure 4:. It consists of upper and lower flanged heads d, d between which is interposed a spacing cylinder e which is preferably but not necessarily made of glass.

' The glass cylinder is positioned by the flanges of theheads and gaskets g are employed to provide a liquid tight and air tight fit between the cylinder and the heads. Thesemembers, i. esthe heads and the glass cylinder constitute the casing. a ,A tube H is arranged centrally within the casing and is secured firmly to the central portion of the lowerhead as indicated at (P. It is imperforate at the side from top to bottom except by a single side opening it near its lower end. The upper end of the tube is threaded as indicated at l and it has a threaded engagement with a boss M formed on the upper head 01. This boss is hollow and is coupled by a plug H to a pipe K leading to the storage tank, T. The arrangement is such that gasolineor the like passes from the tank T through the filter D and thence to the vacuum tank. It passes down through the tube H, out through the opening it and through the filte ing elements soon to bedescribed out through an opening m in the'upper head (i, and then through a passage 12. in the laterally proiecting arm N which is provided at its outer end with what I call a plug support 0. This support 0 is adapted to hold a plug P which may be of the construction shown most clearly in Figure 2. The plug is hollow; it has a threaded exterior p and one or more lateral openings p" which are adapted to coincide with the passage 4 in the filter arm. It will be observed that whenthe plug is cured to the vacuum tank in the manner indicated in Figure 1, there is a continuous passage from the interior of the vacuum tank through the filter to the storage tank. The filtering member as shown comprises upper and lower discs, a wire gauze strainer, a chamois filterer, and means'for connecting these parts with each other. Each disc S shown in Figure 8 is formed with a central opening .9 through which the tube H extends. A single wire gauze cvlinder R- is employed and a single cylinder of chamois U is used. The wire gauze cylinder should be of fine mesh and should fit accurately in the seats 8 of the discs. This cylinder should be of such length as to hold the discs the desired distance apart. The chamois U is of larger diameter than the gauze cylinder R but of substantially the same length.

It is attached at its upper and lower ends to the edges of the disc by means of the rings W. In assembling the parts, I prefer to first position the lower disc S in the lower portion of the chamois cylinder. A flanged ring IV is then applied and is bent around the chamois and the disc in the manner indicated in Figure 10. The wire gauze cylinder is then inserted and positioned and the upper ring W is threaded over the chamois. Next, the upper disc S may be applied to the upper end of the chamois and the upper end of the wire gauze cylinder seated in the upper disc. Then the flanged, ring W may-- be bent around the upper portion of the chamois and the edge of the upper disc in the manner before explained and in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 4:. When the parts are thus assembled and secured together, a filtering member is pro vided which may be easily mounted'in the filter casing and" easily removed therefrom. From the foregoing it appears that the filtering member is a composite structure, that is to say it is made up or composed of a plurality of elements. adapted. to be mounted upon and removed from the tube H, as a unit. While the life of the filtering'memher is quite-long, there may be times when it is desirable to replace an old one bv a fresh one. In order to mount the filtering member within the casing, the lower head 03 may be turned with the tube H until the threaded engagement ofthe tube with the bo'ss'fM, is broken. Then the lower member withkzztlie tube may be withdrawn with the casing member e and the filtering .member may be placed on the tube, and then the parts may be reassembled inobvious ways- There ,isno necessity for the use of a drain cock as in the operation of my filter such draina e is found to be unnecessary inasmuchas tli e filter is self-cleaning.

In operation. when the vacuum tank oper- I oil flows through the pipe K and through the filter to the vacuum tank by means of the arm N and the plug P. The oil passes down through the tube H, out through the opening 71., and into the space between the tube and the wire gauze cylinder. This latter serves to strain the oil or arrest the passage of particles of dirt,-sand, rubber, and the like. The wire gauze cylinder, however, does not arrest the passage of water or other foreign. liquid, but the passage of water through the filter is arrested by the chamois element of the filter, because while chamois will arrest the passage of water it will not arrest the assage of gasoline or similar oil.

It is, there ore, a very desirable filtering element. The gasoline or similar oil which passes through the wire gauze and through the chamois, passes up through the port m out through the passage n, through the plug to a vacuum tank where it is stored for use. When the vacuum is broken in the vacuum tank A, liquid flows in the longer vertical leg ofthe pipe K back to thestorage tank,

let and outlet ports and composed of upper v whereby a siphonic action is produced in the filter D. Due to this siphonic action, the filter D is-drained, the liquid therein flowing back into the storage tank T. In other words, the flowof the liquid is reversed, the

liquid assing through the chamois in the filter, t tough the wire gauze, through the port it, out through the tube 11' into the storage tank. In doing this, the chamois .and the wire gauze are cleansed and the impurities returned to the storage tank. Due to the factthat the port It is disposed as near'as possible to the bottom of the filter D, the entire liquid contents of the said filter are drained ofi', whereby the entire exposed surfaces of both the chamois and the wire gauze are .cleansed.

My improved filter has the advantage of simplicity of construction, it can be readily applied to vacuum tanks of various kinds at present in use, it is self-cleaning, requires no drainage device, and the filtering member proper can-the inserted or removed from its casing expeditiously without permanently disturbing or disarranging other parts. 50

' ably made of glass, it is not necessary that While the bodyjof the casing e is prefera glass cylinderbe used, as the casing may be made. partly of glass and partly of metal I or other material.

Should any leak. occur in the fuel line between the gasoline filter and the storage tank, air would ordinarily be drawn through such leak and carried to the filter with the fuel. The percolation of air through the 'chamois would cause a very perceptible agitation. and bubbling and thus an excellent means is provided for detecting defects or leaks in the gas line. ,The filter also is so.

constructed that it indicates any failure in the operation of the valves in the vacuum tank to function properly because when such failure occurs, fuel would not be drawn continuously from the storage tank to the vacu-' um tank and this defect in the operation of the valves would be indicated by observing the behavior of the liquid passing through the filter. V

The plug K which connects the filter with the supply pipe K is of the same' size as the plug above referred to. If desired, the plug Pmaybe removed from the vacuum tank and the plug K applied to the tank, thus making a direct connection between the storage tank and the vacuum tank, which is a connection usually made. Or if the storage tank is already connected to the vacuum tank by pipe K and plug K, Q

my filter ma be installed by simply transferring the p ug K to the filter and connecting the vacuum. tank with the filter by means of the plug P which is made of the same size as the standard plug K commonly used.

I claim as my invention:

1. A filter comprising a casing having inunit when one of said heads is withdrawn from the filter.

- 2. A filter comprising a casing having 'inlet and outlet orts and composed of up er and lower he. s and a. cylindrical mem r held between said heads, a centrally arranged-tube.w,ithin,said casing having an outlet on" said tube and removable therefrom as a l opening which is connected with said inlet port, and a composite filtering member within said casing surrounding said tube and abutting against one of said heads, the other one of said heads being provided with a boss bearing against said filtering member to I clamp the latter liquid-tight between said upper and lower heads, said filtering member being slidable on said tube and removheads is withdrawn from the filter.

3. In a fuel suppl system for internal combustion en 'ines,t e combination with a low-level supply tank, of a vacuum tank, a closed chamber interposed between said tanks, a filtering element in said chamber dividing the same int-o'twincompartments, a siphon pipe leading from said supply tank able therefrom as a unit when one of said to said chamber, said siphon pipe extending through the upper portion of said chamber into one of said compartments and being provided with an outlet disposed adjacent the lower edge of said filtering element, and a pipe connecting the other one of said compartments with said vacuum tank.

4. In a fuel supply system for internal combustion engines, the combination with a low-level supply tank, of a vacuum tank, a closed chamber interposed between said tanks, a siphon pipe leading from said supply tank to said chamber extending through the upper portion thereof and being provided with an outlet disposed adjacent the bottom of said chamber, a pipe connecting said chamber with said vacuum tank, and a filtering element in said chamber interposed between the outlet of said siphon pipe and the inlet to the pipe leading from said chamber to said vacuum tank.

5. In a fuel supply system for internal combustion engines, the combination with a low-level supply tank, of a vacuum tank, a closed chamber interposed between said tanks, a filtering element in said chamber dividing the same into two compartments, a connection between said supply tank and oneof said compartments, and a connection between said vacuum tank and the other one of said compartments whereby suction is periodically created in said closed chamber, causing liquid to flow from said supply tank to said compartment, the connection between said closed-chamber and said supply tank being so arranged that the entire contents.

of said chamber are caused to-fiow, back into said supply tank when the vacuum ceases in said chamber, thereby cleaning said filter ing element during the entire time that said closed chamber is beingemptied. I

C. The. method of'feeding filtered liquid hydro-carbon fuel to internal combustion engines, which consists in causing the fuel to pass through a filtering medium in a closed space between the supply tank and the vacuum tank of the engine, by the vac uum created in said vacuum tank, and permitting the fuel to be intermittently and wholly siphoned off from said closed space and to flow toward said supply tank, whereby the fuel is caused to pass through said filtering medium in a direction opposite to that in which it flows from the supply tank that said closed space is being emptied.

level substantially to the lower level of the to the vacuum tank during the entire time 7. The method of feeding filtered liquid hydro-carbon to internal combustion" gines, which consists in causing the fire pass through a filtering medium in a closed space between the supply tank and the vacuum tank of the engine,v and permitting V the fuel to be intermittently and wholly siphoned oiffrom said closed space to a filtering medium and to flow toward said supply -tank,whereby the fuel is caused to pass through the entire exposed surface of the filtering medium in a direction opposite to that in which it flows from said supply tank to'the vacuum tank. I I

8. The method of feeding filteredliquid hydro-carbon fuel to internal combustion engines, which consists in causing the fuel to pass through a filtering medium in a closed space, and permitting the fuel tobe intermittently and wholly siphoned off from said closed space and to flow toward said supply tank, whereby the fuel is caused to pass through the entire exposed surface of the filtering medium-in a direction opposite to that in which it flows toward the engine.

9. The method of. feeding-filtered liquid hydro-carbon fuel to internal combustion engines, which consists in causing the fuel to pass by suction through a filtering medium in a closed space, and permitting the fuel to be intermittently and wholly si-- phoned off from said closed space, whereby the 'fuel is caused to pass through the entire exposed surface of the filtering medium in a direction opposite to that in which it flows toward the engine.

10. The method of feeding filtered liquid hydro-carbon to an internal combustion engine, which consists in'causing the fuel to pass through a filtering medium in a closed space by vacuum intermittently created in said closed space, and permitting the fuel tobe intermittently and wholly siphoned off from said closed space, whereby the fuel is caused to pass through said filtering medium in a direction opposite to that in which it flows toward the engine.

Intestimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WALTER T. MUNR 

